By Chad from Albany.
Downtown Saratoga Springs got a lot funnier on the Friday and Saturday evenings of September 11th and 12th, when the first inaugural Saratoga Comedy Festival launched at the Saratoga Springs City Center, boasting 60 comedians across five rooms, including club-level headliners and some of the brightest comedians from the Capital Region and beyond.
I attended both nights. Most of the comics were allotted multiple spots throughout the nights, allowing guests to be able to see the bulk of the acts during their performances. Friday was divided into 3 blocks: 6-8 pm, 8 pm- 10 pm, and 10pm-midnight across the five rooms. Each block featured a host and 5 or 6 comedians doing 15-20 minute sets, with the headliner of each room block doing roughly 30 minutes. It was a fun setup that allowed people to move freely, enjoy food and beverage vendors, and mingle with the comics and like-minded fans who love comedy.
Spearheaded by Albany-based comic Travis Stealey, and his partners Joseph Rivette and Jay Ingleston, this event was structured wonderfully and professionally. Stealey was seen throughout the days frantically going over every detail, while managing the occasional unforeseen circumstance, hosting his sets, introducing some comics, and “herding the cats” with confidence and poise. Especially for this being his and their first attempt at such an undertaking, I say “Bravo!”
Headliners across the two days included veteran comedy legend Robert Kelly and the spastically hilarious Ian Fidance, who is becoming one of the premier comics not only in his native New York City, but across the country, with a popular travel series on YouTube called “Ian Do,” which sees Fidance working odd jobs across the country, spotlighting some of the hardworking Americans who don’t get the credit they deserve, all while adding a humorous twist to it. Chris O’Connor and Kerryn Feehan were also amongst the elite, as their hilarity is matched with the popularity of the Emmy-nominated “Tires,” a hilarious sitcom starring Shane Gillis, that’s available to stream on Netflix and currently in its third season. Kyle Kinane was amongst the most popular of the headliners, with his appearances on nearly every late-night show from Conan to Fallon, and podcasts such as “The Adam Carolla Show,” “WTF” with Marc Maron, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” and “You Made It Weird,” with Pete Holmes. Actor Dustin Ybarra (Hop, We Bought a Zoo, Ted 2), UAlbany’s own Jaye McBride, who has performed at Madison Square Garden, and Jeff Wright, writer and performer for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, rounded out the top of the bill. Needless to say, there were some heavy hitters in that building.
As great as the headliners were across the weekend, the shining stars went to the local and regional talent. The broad spectrum of styles and energy kept this festival’s heart beating. Whether it was Brooklyn-based Elizabeth Becz joking about being 6’2, Watervliet’s Tyler Artis explaining his “unique” name, or nationally known Lee Syatt talking about how our locally beloved Stewart’s Shops are better than Buc-ees, the Discover Saratoga room of the City Center was the place to be on Friday Night. Also in that room, New Jersey’s Pedro Garcia had a tremendous set, being one of the highlights of the entire weekend. And after Park Slope Brooklyn’s own Anne Stesney tore the room up, killing the room with jokes about her sobriety and family life, NJ’s brilliant Danny Braff did another impeccable performance. A highlight of his performance came when, in the room next to him, the Casella Room, which was being headlined by his boss Robert Kelly, and whose crowd’s laughter was coming through the walls, Braff got his crowd to chant to get him a raise, which Kelly heard in the other room and responded to. The energy of all of these comics was incredible.
And speaking of the Casella Room, local great Dan Geurin hosted that room, including one of his signature sets that proves him to be amongst the best in the region. Another highlight of that room was the wonderfully funny Kinsey Ford, who is based out of Dallas, TX, and has played at many of the great comedy venues in the country.
The legendary Robert Kelly’s Friday night set closer in that same room was loud and boisterous – with a constant smile, cracking jokes and crowd working about ideas for cosmetics for women for, let’s just say, areas apart from their face. He caught a glimpse of me taking notes at the side of the room and simply told me that whatever I am writing for, make sure I write these two words: “Pu**y Makeup!” before bringing up that he was scared that I was carrying a backpack with me on that night’s date (9/11). That’s the Robert Kelly we all know and love.
Another unique highlight of the weekend was Saturday’s “Interrogation” with former local, now Denver-based comic Korey David. This took place in the Northern Lights Room of the City Center and featured nationally known comedians Andy McDermott, Ray Harrington, Jake Silberman, Katie Arroyo, and Monty Mason, telling stories about actual crimes in which they have committed, before David comes up and comedically “interrogates” them and offers the crowd the chance to ask questions about their mischievous actions. This was one of the gems of the Festival and was a bit of a mix between stand-up comedy, a classic roast, and crowd work. Keep your eye on Korey David. I hope he works his way back to the Capital Region soon.
I might be biased being a long-time fan of his work, and as a lifelong fan of zany, high-energy humor (I grew up on Zucker and Abrahams films), but the work of Ian Fidance is flawless. His positive energy and ironic humor blend wonderfully with the joke-telling stylings of the Catskill comedians of yore. He takes the stage like a lightning bolt and treated us with the same level of vigor as if he were at his regular gig at NY’s iconic Comedy Cellar.
From my take, Kyle Kinane and Chris O’Connor were amongst the crowd favorites of the headliners – both receiving thunderous applause at the two sets I saw, and when conversing with people throughout the weekend, their names seem to come up most. O’Connor made some great jabs at the city of Saratoga, saying that it “falls off quickly” after the track season, the Saratoga rental bikes, and that nobody wants gelato after track season.
There was truly something for everyone here. And I wish I was able to get to every room and every performer, but with the large chunk that I saw, as well as the camaraderie displayed in the rooms and in the halls by the talent, as well as the laughs coming so hard and heavy from every room that they could be heard in other rooms, I chalk this up as a terrific success.
Again, I cannot give enough props to Travis Stealy and his team for the hard work that it took to pull this off. It was a success, and I can not wait to see what happens in 2027 and beyond.
Stay tuned to www.saratogacomedyfest.com and @saratogacomedyfestical on Instagram for updates.
